Getting Around Sacramento: Public Transportation & Tours Worth Knowing About
Meta Description: Sacramento is a fantastic city full of history and culture. Use our quick guide to public transportation to get around.
Meta Keywords: Sacramento Transportation, Sacramento Mass Transit, Sacramento Tours, Tours in Sacramento
See all of Sacramento from the Seat of a Bus, Train, or Bicycle
Sacramento, the state capital of California, is a wonderful mid-sized American city full of culture, fantastic green areas, and some great historical sites. You can tour the city with a tour company, or self-guide your way around on a taxi, city bus, or bicycle. There’s no wrong way to go and so much to see and do in America’s most diverse city.
Public Transportation http://www.sacrt.com/
The Sacramento Regional Transit District is responsible for public transportation in the greater Sacramento area and a great deal of the Sacramento Valley. The transit district operates buses on sixty routes covering more than four hundred square miles. They also operate one of the busiest light rail systems in the United States. Buses and trains run throughout the greater Sacramento area from Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights in the North to Vineyard and Elk Grove in the South.
Taxis https://www.uber.com/cities/sacramento
Like every other city of any size in the United States, Sacramento boasts a great many shuttle bus, taxi, limo, and coach services. Uber has come to Sacramento as well. A quick internet search, or scan of a brochure rack at the airport or in any hotel lobby should provide you with more options than you could possibly want to choose from. While all of these services are considerably more expensive than mass transit in Sacramento, they can also be considerably more convenient.
Bike Sharing http://www.kcra.com/news/sacramento-city-council-to-review-potential-bikeshare-locations/33179380
The Sacramento City Council is still reviewing plans that could bring a bike sharing program to the state’s capital by 2016. If launched the city’s program would look much like the one’s already up and running in Washington D.C. and San Francisco. It would feature multiple terminals throughout the city where a resident or visitor could purchase a day pass and rent bikes for periods of time to get around the city. This could be one great new way to see the city of Sacramento.
Tours
Because the city of Sacramento is steeped in so much history and remains such a vital part of California as a state, there is much for travelers, tourists, and locals to see and do in the city. Several companies and nonprofit organizations stand at the ready to assist you in finding a part of Sacramento for you to tour for your edification and entertainment.
Tour the Capital www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov
The state capital of California is right in the middle of downtown Sacramento. The Capital building itself pulls double duty as both a working state capital and a museum. The building is architecturally beautiful and admission is free. It’s open every day except for major holidays and tours can be arranged through the Capital Museum Gift Shop.
Governor’s Mansions Tours http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=498 http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=489
If you enjoy a good Governor’s Mansion tour, you are in luck. Sacramento has two Governor’s Mansions that double as history museums, both of which are open to the public. The Leland Stanford Museum (yes that Stanford) was the home of the eighth governor of California. It was built in 1856, was used as the California Governor’s Mansion through the 1860s, then became the Stanford Home for Children, before it was renovated as a museum. The Governor’s Mansion was built in 1877 and was home to thirteen California Governors over the years before becoming a museum itself.
Sutter’s Fort http://www.suttersfort.org/
Initially built in 1843 as a trading post and called New Helvetia, or New Switzerland, Sutter’s Fort has served as rehabilitation center for the surviving members of the Donner Party and other wagon trains, refugee camp for San Franciscans displaced by the 1906 earthquake and fire, and as an entertaining place to tour the pioneer life with the kids in the years since.
Neighborhood and Art Walking Tours http://www.sacramentoheritage.org/walking.html
The Sacramento Heritage group is happy to lead locals and visitors on a wide variety of neighborhood, art, and architecture tours. Tours are available virtually, online, and on foot in the real world. Tours visit many of Sacramento’s historic landmarks, examine architecture from the Gold Rush era through the Victorian, and Craftsman periods, and seek out surprising and beautiful public art in the city.
Old Sacramento Underground http://sachistorymuseum.org/tours/underground-tours/
Travel beneath the old downtown of Sacramento. Tour the excavated foundations of buildings long since demolished and built over, discover secret passageways beneath the city streets, examine artifacts discovered beneath the Capital above, all the while being treated to fascinating stories of Old Sacramento from a professional storyteller turned tour guide.
Take a Tour of the Trees www.sactree.com/treetours
One of the city of Sacramento’s nicknames is City of Trees, and for good reason. The city is filled with mature examples of many tree species both indigenous to the local area and imported from throughout the world. The Sacramento Tree Foundation would be happy to provide you with a map of the city’s popular parks and the fantastic specimens that inhabit them.
Hysterical Walks and Rides www.hystericalwalks.com
If you’re looking for a way to tour the city while getting your fill of comedy, try Hysterical Walks and Rides. You can choose between walking tours or Segway rides through many different parts of the city focused on the dark side of Old Sacramento and many of the stories that haunt the city to this day. The tours are designed with adults in mind, so best to leave the kids out of this one.
Local Roots Food Tours www.local-food-tours.com
Sacramento is surrounded by some of the richest farmland in the world. It’s no wonder then that this city is leading the way in the farm to table or farm-to-fork movement. When you’re here, why not sample some of the best foods the city has to offer by taking a local food tour, local winery tour, or local brewery tour.
It’s Easy to Take in the Sites and Tour What Sacramento has to Offer
As the capital city of the state with the world’s fourth largest economy, Sacramento has a lot to offer the casual visitor. The mass transit system and numerous other transportation options and tours only make it more welcoming to tourists and locals alike.